Gods Among Men
by Naukheol
Summary: Two worlds have very different realities of how a deity functions. Enter the Divine Milletian, from a world corrupted and destroyed by those who misbelieve and hate, summoned by one who wishes for a divine, beautiful and powerful familiar. Faith and fact clash, and the reality of the situation will change the fate of Halkeginia forever. Rated T for violence, may move to M later.
1. Out of the Frying Pan

**-Hey! This is the first time I've taken an attempt at any form of serious writing, so any critique would be appreciated. The update time on this will hopefully be every Wednesday, with chapters getting longer as I go and get used to writing, but for now I'll give you guys a short intro. **

**CHAPTER ONE: Out of the Frying Pan...**

-A Remote Field in the Raspa Region, Iria

She was dying again. A sword through the throat this time, she could see. However, with the pain came a sense of panic. ''_I'm not done yet,_", she thought. Naminé Engel von Theissen, age six thousand, one hundred and eighty-eight. Nicknamed the ''Last Angel'', she had resided where the rest of her race had abandoned, watching over the sentient races of Erinn and keeping the peace as the de-facto goddess of the world.

''_But I'm no goddess,_'' she remembered. She was a Milletian: a being tied inorexably to a location known as the Soul Stream, a nexus for travel between worlds and the birthplace of her race. This allowed them to be virtually immortal, as they could not truly die so long as the Soul Stream was intact. Whenever their physical body was damaged beyond repair, they would be reborn into a new body, keeping all the experience and memories they acquired and allowing continuous growth to superhuman properties. She had known this because of the history of her world: war-torn with the follies of the true gods and their followers, unknowingly following the same prophecy in their total war to reach paradise.

''_But they already resided in it. The gods taint every place they go._'' The original, nameless world had fallen some millenia ago: six thousand, one hundred and seventy-one years ago. She was seventeen when she transcended: one of the first Milletians. The nameless world was also torn between the humans and the Fomors in their quest to bring about paradise by exterminating the other race: only then would their God appear before them. Why their gods craved such bloodshed was a closely guarded secret: every God not of Aton Cimeni had ascended, retaining their mortal ideals, mindset and personality. All it took for war was a figurehead to believe in, and they had risen to that position.

Eventually those with too much knowledge released ancient beings of legend, ravaging the land and killing almost all of its heroes. However, the Goddess appeared for humans in their time of most desperate need and brought them to a safer place, sacrificing herself in a seal to close the door between the two worlds. Humanity was safe, but opening that door opened another door: the one to the Soul Stream. Who Naminé was beforehand, she didn't remember: but she was born again in the Soul Stream, and the rest of her time was in history books across the land. Eventually, however, opposition to the gods rose.

Which led to her current situation: the black-armored swordsman roughly pulled, eliciting a wet _hiss _as the blade retracted from her throat, allowing her to fall to one knee, gasping for breath that would not come. Without a word, he turned and started walking away. _''I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET,''_ she wanted to scream. Doing so would shorten whatever time she had left, though. Her strength was leaving her, and she was unable to cast the healing magics that would repair her injuries. She wasn't even sure if it would work on fatal injuries: she'd never bothered, since she would rebirth. But the soul stream was destroyed, tainted beyond purification along with the death of its guardian, Nao Pryderi. She could still remember her last moments, defending herself from the one who in a previous life had defended her with his life to allow her to continue living.

''_A hell of a twist of fate. Ruairi killed her and doomed this world to a slow death of corruption by the demons my people held back.''_

Finally allowing herself to slump forwards, she found her consciousness finally slipping from her. However, a voice niggled at the back of her head, as if it were a prayer.

_''My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe... my divine, beautiful and powerful familiar.''_

She had to be going crazy: delirium from her failing brain. However, it was not, as it grew louder as a faint crackle of energy pooled around her, giving her barely enough strength to stand again and allowing her to breathe despite the blood she was losing, pooling in her lungs.

_''Heed my call. I wish from the very bottom of my heart to add to my guidance and appear before me!''_

Looking down, she saw the pool was now glowing green, slowly losing its solid state as she slipped inside of it, falling for what felt like an eternity. The feeling of falling finally lulled her into a sleep, one which she was not sure she would awaken from.

-Tristainian Magic Academy, Day of the Springtime Summoning Ritual

She watched each of her classmates with growing resentment and anger as they each summoned their chosen familiar. Some only had small animals, enhanced by the runes to become slightly more than what they were. Others summoned... more fascinating things. The quiet Gallian by the name of Tabitha had summoned a dragon with scales the color of the ocean waters which seemed to attach itself to the bluette's side almost instantly after she completed her ritual. It was slightly unnerving to see a twenty-foot long monster of a dragon almost _purring _in satisfaction at its master's touch. It reminded her of her older sister's loving touch.

_''Cattleya...''_

She had wanted to make her family proud, to prove she was worthy of carrying the Valliére name. In the theory she excelled, understanding the workings of every spell taught down to the method of manipulating the magical energies in the air. Equations, math... none of it was a problem. And yet when it came to casting the spells?

_''Failure!''_

_''Louise the Zero!''_

_''Worthless girl!''_

These were the things she dealt with every day, simply because for reasons neither her nor her professors could understand, every spell she cast ended with one result: an explosion. Why it did this was unknown, but it angered her more than anything else that she couldn't cast. Dreading the day for a _summoning _of all things: an extremely complicated process which required the utmost care in the casting and channelling of mana, she prepared with the discipline only a Valliére could possess. Leading to her current circumstance.

Her rival, a tall and voluptuous girl by the name of Kirche von Zerbst, had just finished her summoning: a somewhat smaller but equally as fearsome lizard: a flame salamander. It radiated an aura of heat, causing some of the students to break out in sweat, but the redhead didn't seem to mind at all, quickly finishing the ritual and simply dubbing the lizard ''Flame''.

_''An unsophisticated name for an unsophisticated person. Typical Kirche, a disgrace of a-''_

''Oi! Louise! You're the last one up!''

While she was stuck in her thoughts, said redhead bonked Louise on the head lightly to get her attention, before pointing her towards their professor to proceed. ''If you don't get your head out of the clouds, how do you expect to finish this?''

''Shut up, Zerbst.'' Her cold reply quickly shut down Kirche as she walked forwards, hearing the jeers and whispers of the other students. They expected her failure, even as they backed away from what they believed to be the future blast site and site of death for Louise-Francoise de Blanc de la Valliére.

''Come forth, Miss Valliére.''

Jean Colbert, the leader of their class, was unsure of what to think. While Louise excelled in all her studies and theory, the results of her castings were quite damaging to the area around her, so he had taken care to have other teachers place shock-absorbent wards around the summoning circle in case they were needed.

As the pink-haired girl stepped up to her task, he gave a silent sigh. Louise was always a good student, though if she failed this summon she would likely be expelled for being a failure of a mage. After that?

He didn't want to think on what would happen.

''You may begin the summoning, Miss Valliére.''

At her cue, she began the chant, remembering each and every word as she slowly channelled energy into the summoning circle, feeling the spell probe for the familiar best suited for her. _''It's working! The spell is working!''_

The other students held their breaths in anticipation of the failure, but it never came. Instead, they felt more energy being drawn from their surroundings, causing the runes in the circle to begin glowing with a purple-black light.

_''My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe... my divine, beautiful and powerful familiar.''_

_''That isn't normal.''_ Colbert motioned for the other students to back away as he probed what was going on with the spell. It seemed to be working, but it was summoning a different kind of familiar... not an animal.

_''Heed my call. I wish from the very bottom of my heart to add to my guidance and appear before me!''_

The energy reached its apex, letting forth a spew of excess energy, blowing Louise back several feet and causing Colbert to have to dig his feet into the ground to avoid suffering a similar fate. Smoke clouded everyone's vision, followed by the faint sound of drops of liquid spattering the ground in the circle. Several of the students finally exhaled, with the voice of a young blonde male being the first to sound.

''Did the Zero fail again?''

She should have tried to hurt him. She wanted to, but the spell had drained far more energy than it should have. With a few shaky gasps, she stood and waved away some of the smoke, trying to see what exactly had happened. What he found caused her to gasp and stagger a few steps backwards, to the shock of Professor Colbert.

''Louise? What did you see?''

She flailed a bit, before gesturing to Tabitha for her to come forwards.

''Healing? You're uninjured.''

A disoriented Louise shook her head vigorously, pointing towards the now clearing smoke for everyone to see. A tall woman stood in the circle, trying to breathe raggedly but choking on something. Assuming it was smoke, they took the time to examine her. Vague outlines of armor could be seen under the black robe she wore, albeit it was stained by blood and covered too much to be able to make out the type of armor. A mane of purple hair, dark enough to almost be called black reached down to her shoulders, and a fair face with eyes the shade of walnut completed the appearance of unearthly beauty.

Said eyes were extremely dilated, however. The bluette noticed this, and then examined the rest of her slowly: pale face, shaking from shock, and looking down...

Oh.

The woman stood with a _hole _in her neck, looking to have been freshly inflicted by some manner of sword: likely a longsword or bastard sword. Whoever inflicted this wound had meant to let her suffer as she died, but yet the woman _still stood. _Not just a matter of being alive, which should not have been the case, but she still stood. No sound came from her moving lips, before she fell to a knee again and finally collapsed, blood pooling around her neck. Many of the students panicked, thinking that a bystander had just been killed. However, only one thought came to the mind of Tabitha.

''Get Headmaster Osmond and the healers. Can only do so much.''

**-So yeah. The Divine Milletian in this story ended up in a fight with Ruairi, long after the events of the first Saga for another duel, and ended up losing again, only this time with what should have been a far more fatal end. For anyone wondering about her age, she'd actually only be about seven years old in Halkeginia, due to the fact that a year in Erinn is only one week in Halkeginia. Power level at this point was among the highest in the land, because at this point she was the only (demi)god that still interacted with Erinn, so the reason she lost is going to come up later. When she's fully healed, though... Louise is gonna have a hell of an incident on her hands.**

**'Till Wednesday, hopefully!**

**-M-**


	2. Of Dreams and Deaths

**-Hey! Early chapter, I guess. I've had a lot of inspiration to write while going through the history of FoZ, finally getting to know the characters better than just through other fanfictions. And watching the anime, too. Dear god, the slapstick comedy is ridiculous. Without further ado...-**

**CHAPTER TWO: OF DREAMS AND DEATHS**

**-Northeast of Vales, in a bloodstained battlefield, four hundred two years ago-**

_**''THIS IS A CALL TO ARMS!''**_

_The assembled force of giants had taken ranks for their King, ready for whatever speech he may give to them. While he was normally one for action rather than talk, the enemy they were headed out to face required a bit of... a morale boost, as she could remember. _

_**''March with me if you believe there's any hope for us against this onslaught against one of our most hated enemies! March for those who cannot march with us: for those who have lost their lives in the initial attacks, for your elders and children who cannot fight! March for the memory of our legacy and our ancestors!" **She'd never thought of Krug as such a charismatic figure, more along the lines of a brute who had seized power. While he had the previous king of the Giants murdered, the past would have to wait. The present was all that mattered. With an ear-shattering war cry, he led his people to battle against one of their most hated foes: the great white wyrm Languhiris. _

_Blood once again stained the snow of Vales, where the winter never ended and the cries of the wounded and dying were drowned out by the howling of the wind. Charging into battle alongside her comrades, she whirled around with her blade, Brionac, trying to hamstring the beast's rear legs as to cripple it. One strong slash was all it would take to punch through even the toughest hide and slice at the vulnerable flesh below, and one strong slash was all that was needed as a shrill shriek of pain filled the air. Slipping to the side, she was able to take a quick leap up and begin slicing at its wings. _

_Or at least, that was the intent. Seeing her goal, the wyrm rolled to its side, throwing her off and flattening several soldiers on its left flank with multiple resounding cracks and squelching sounds. _

_''More letters to write home...'', she thought to herself as she recovered from the landing, quickly moving to wound its other rear leg. However, it was not to be. Seeing her intent, the dragon took off to fight another day after licking its wounds, its swift launch causing the remaining soldiers to be blown back. With a sigh, she turned to examine what was left of their forces and do healing, if necessary._

_''Come on, get up. We need to leave this mess and get somewhere far away from this.''_

**X-X-X**

-**Present time, Naminé's POV**-

Far away indeed... though she had no idea how far away she really was. Dead, to move on to an afterlife far away from her people? Or alive by some miracle or fluke of fate? She could not tell, as she currently resided in her own mind, her body wracked with pain and knowing she was unable to do anything about it.

_Are you sure?_

Startled, she wrenched her head to the side, seeing shadows moving about the area, appearing as if they were treating the wounded or dead.

_''She's incredibly lucky her spine was missed: she'd be dead or paralysed, not to mention all the blood loss.''_

Who were these people talking? Were they referring to her? Was she actually dead?

_''She looks like a corpse anyways, Professor. No amount of healing magic will save her.'' _

Something she already knew, until a _very_ familiar voice stepped in.

_''This is my familiar we're speaking of here! I will not be shamed by having you louts stand around speaking as if she were worth nothing! ESPECIALLY from you, Zerbst!'' _As far as she could tell, the familiar voice was arguing with one much older than her. She figured she was right: swords through the neck were known to be fatal for a wide range of reasons: cutting of the windpipe, blood filling the lungs, severed major arteries, spinal cord injury or destruction... How she avoided several of these was unknown, apparently.

_''Excuse me? You said you needed a healer?''_ A distorted yet unmistakably female voice joined the fray, silencing the others. An almost audible silence followed, before the original voice sounded again, aggravated and worried.

_''One healer. ONE HEALER THEY SENT? Tabitha's barely keeping her breathing as is, and she's a Triangle-class Ice mage! What could you do?''_

_''I am a Square-class water mage. Word was sent that I was needed, and I was the only one on hand. Allow me to work.''_

She suddenly felt the hole in her neck closing, flesh stitching together and bone righting itself, though some things would not heal for a long time. She doubted she'd be able to speak, but she was somehow alive, despite all these terms being unfamiliar to her and her sheer bewilderment at her situation.

_I'd be confused too._

Groaning, Naminé turned to the other side, expecting yet another shadow. However, this person had a solid shape, one that was also familiar.

_I didn't expect to see you here, but fate has its ways of bringing people together. And I left you with a gift, remember? I want to see you live if for no other reason than curiosity as to what you do with it. _

How? He had died, slain by one of the weapons she wielded, renowned specifically for being a slayer of gods! How was the shadow god still alive?

_Technically I'm not. The spirit He infused in you left a part of the original in as well, and it seems only now have I awakened. I would advise doing the same: you have a lot ahead of you, child._

And that was what disturbed her: he could call her a child without flinching whatsoever. He had lived for eons, merely wanting to see his people through the way that she did, taking on his role after his destruction. No longer a guardian for humans, or even for elves and giants, but for the Fomorians as well. She was effectively the child of light and dark: Neamhain and Cichol, allowing her ascension to demigod.

And she wasn't done yet, so she had to wake up and face this new world.

**X-X-X**

**-Louise POV-**

Who had interrupted, she wasn't sure. All she knew is that the cloaked woman had healed her famili- _summon_, and had done so with ease nearly unprecedented. Such abilities even with an advanced focus would take years of practice, yet the woman could not have been more than a few years older than her!

_''Maybe I really am just a failure, a Zero.''_ And yet here she was, having summoned a human familiar, unprecedented in the history of Halkeginia! Not since the time of Brimir himself had there been a human summon, and Professor Colbert had already seemed enthralled by the idea. He had urged her to finish the binding, but she had refused on the grounds that further pain might have caused the woman further unnecessary pain for the moment. She groaned, thinking on the past situation and current situation. However, the groan seemed strange, almost as if a second, raspier voice accompanied it.

''Louise. Familiar waking up.''

That shocked her out of her trance, and true to the word of the Gallian, the woman in black was finally awakening. Three days after the arrival of the square-class water mage who had closed the gaping wound in her neck. For the moment, however, she had present matters to attend to, and the past did not matter.

''Can you fill a glass with water, Tabitha? She might need it.'' Midway through said sentence, Tabitha was already acting, channelling the vapor in the air to create fluid water for the woman, interrupted by a rasping cough.

''Here. Drink slowly. Throat damaged.''

The woman nodded weakly in thanks, taking the glass and slowly sipping before coughing once more.

''Rest.''

What was she to do with a bedridden familiar? She was awake, but she still had to rest up. The sound of scribbling on parchment once again interrupted her train of thought, causing Louise to almost angrily turn before she saw the language the woman was writing in with the ink and parchment on the side desk.

Germanian. The one language she never studied, and the delicate handwriting made it all the worse. She'd have to call Kirche in, unfortunately.

''Wait a minute, I'll get a translator. **KIRCHE! **Get your fat udders in here!'' Just because she needed her didn't mean she'd have to like it.

''Hang on, sweetie~! What do we have here?'' With a light smack, Louise got Kirche out of her love-teasing mode and into a slightly more serious mode. ''Looks like the dead woman walking isn't quite so dead after all! What do you need me for?''

''She's writing in Germanian, and I don't know it.''

The redhead's eyes lit up, and she looked over the paper, seeing what it read.

_Where am I?_

''Well that's a simple answer! You're in the Tristainian Magical Academy, finest in all of Halkeginia! Kirche von Anhalt-Zerbst at your service, my looovely lady~! Might I ask your name?''

The answer caused Kirche to almost laugh, before she took a good look at the raven-haired woman.

_Naminé Engel von Theissen._

''Naminé Engel von Theissen? Don't make me laugh. She's a figure out of a story! C'mon, be honest here. What're you doing here? Did the Zero hire you?''

_Excuse me? _

The woman sat up, glaring daggers into Kirche with her eyes even as Louise sputtered in protest, resisting every urge to break something of Kirche's. However, the redhead endured it and simply laughed in Naminé's face.

''Really. You're gonna double down on it? Fine by me, but don't expect to be taken seriously.''

_Can you show me a map?_

''Sure, why the hell not. Louise, the Angel wants a map.'' The sudden moniker confused Louise, but she gestured for one of the servants to fetch a map. With a sigh, she sat down next to her summon, curious as to what she had gotten herself into. _I ask for a familiar, ANY familiar, and all I get is a mute commoner? They're already accusing me of hiring her, faking the ritual... but that sort of presence was an oddity. How did she get wounded?''_

These questions would have to wait, unfortunately. A decent map would take time to obtain, and until then she was unsure of what to do. With another long-winded sigh, she curled up on the chair next to the summon's bed and dozed off, the raven-haired woman watching over her with a curious stare.

**X-X-X**

-**Naminé's POV, an hour later-**

It was as she thought: this was not her world. Albion, an island to the west bordered Tristain, which was where she currently was. To the north and east was Germania, a country composed of ''barbarians and brutes'', though from her impression of Kirche they were more free-spirited and light hearted compared to their neighbors. To the south was Gallia, a country of equal size, yet the most populous, with fifteen million people living there. Even further south was Romania, the religious centre of the continent. She had yet to ask how the governments of each country worked, but seeing as there were nobles commanding servants she assumed that there was a monarchy of some sort. More importantly was figuring out WHY she was here. A question she wanted to ask, but for that...

She looked around, seeing only the peach-haired girl from earlier. While she could understand her language, she had not yet regained her ability to speak. With little other options, she tapped into her currently drained supply of mana, barely managing to establish a link.

_''Wake up. You've been sleeping for awhile.''_

Immediately the girl sat up in shock, looking around but not seeing anyone but Naminé. Turning her chair to her, the little girl piped up in a somewhat frightened voice.

''Was anyone else here?''

_''No. I'm sorry for waking you like that, I have some questions to ask yo-''_

''Ask me? How about I ask you HOW YOU'RE T-''

Sitting up, she leaned over to cover the girl's mouth with one of her hands, before gesturing for her to be quiet. She'd have to remember that the girl was somewhat excitable. _''Shh. I already introduced myself earlier,but I do not know who you are, nor my circumstances here.''_

Nodding slowly, the girl kept her voice down a bit more this time. ''Louise-Francoise de Blanc de la Valliére, the one who summoned you to be my familiar. You arrived with...'', the girl paused for a moment, recalling the still vivid image of Naminé with a wound through her throat, ''...a terrible injury, and we've kept you here since then. Someone arrived and completely healed it, before taking off to Brimir knows where. Tabitha could only-''

_''Hold on. Brimir? Brimir Tilaunis?'' _Naminé seemed stunned, recalling the name of someone she thought had disappeared a long, long time go, but judging from their reactions had came here and ascended.

''Yes, the Holy Founder, Brimir Tilaunis, creator of magic and the sole Void mage in our history. How could you not know this? You're from Germania, aren't you?''

A shake of her head told Louise that she wasn't, in fact, and that she seemed lost in thought. _''Brimir was one of the first of us, and that was... What year is it now, Miss Louise?''_

''6242,'' Louise intoned with an incredulous look. How could this woman not know what year it was? Unless...

''Are you from Halkeginia, familiar?''

_''No, I am not. I would like to see the stars to confirm my suspicions, however.''_

**-Outside the infirmary, near the Vestri Courtyard-**

**-Louise's POV-**

Louise watched the awed face of her familiar as she gazed at the stars for the first time and had to suppress a small smile, watching Naminé nearly tracing the constellations with her fingers, before gazing at the twin moons. She'd come to terms with the fact that she was somehow being spoken to without words, the soft and bell-like voice asking questions at an almost nonstop pace. She felt happy, being able to answer questions. She felt useful, like more than a Zero. Eventually, however, she had to come to terms with something.

_''What does a familiar do?''_

It seemed like a silly question, but Louise had felt unusually patient with Naminé and decided to humor her with an answer.

''A familiar is summoned through the Springtime Summoning Ritual, created by Brimir himself nearly six thousand years ago. A familiar is bound to serve the master in whatever endeavours and trials they endure, protecting them and being a companion for life. Normally an animal of some sort is conjured, but...'', she trailed off, showing how unusual the situation was.

_''Normally a being without free will.'' _Louise gave a mute nod, unsure of how to broach the subject. Thankfully, the raven-haired woman decided to speak up first.

_''You saved my life, which is a debt that I would like to repay. By saving mine, I would protect yours. But there are a few things to be said first. I would like to approach our relationship as partners and not a master-servant relationship. Is this acceptable?''_

Louise was stunned for two reasons. On one hand, Naminé was asking of something unheard of, defying the tenets she was brought up on and speaking up against a noble, which she could not stand for! On the other hand...

She spoke with such grace that she had rarely heard even from other nobles, and needed someone to be there. Even if she couldn't cast magic and live up to her own reputation as a noble, she would take up the original values of a noble: ones who protected and served the commoners, if Naminé could even be called one.

''...Okay. We'll need to finish the binding, then.'' A nod of understanding, and Naminé gave her consent for the ritual to be completed. Taking out her wand, she held it in one hand, before moving closer to the raven-haired woman.

''My name is Louise-Francoise de Blanc de la Valliére. Pentagon that rules the five powers, bless this individual and make her my familiar.'' And with that, she moved in to kiss Naminé, a move that caused her to freeze up for a moment before she watched her familiar's runes begin to scribe themselves onto her hand.

_I'm sorry, _she mouthed, having forgotten briefly the pain that it caused. A pained smile reassured her, however, and she watched the runes complete themselves, causing her new familiar to briefly glow.

_I'm no longer a failure. I saved someone's life, and now have someone who will live for me. Thank you, Founder, wherever you are now, for blessing me during a time of need, and for saving this woman. _

**X-X-X**

**-And so curiosity and loyalty win out for our Milletian, bringing maybe a non-bratty Louise into the story! While her excessive pride will still make itself known at some points, I couldn't see any rational human being beginning to scream at someone who arrived nearly dead after they make it clear that they are unaware of their circumstances. Not to say that OTHER characters will have their personalities changed... I'm going to enjoy writing her interactions with some more of the main cast. I also gave Brimir a last name. The question is... how does our Milletian know him before Louise mentions him by name?**

**Oh, and everyone's favorite Shadow God, Cichol, is still breathing. Well, not breathing, but we'll see what he's doing later on in Naminé's head. Until later, then!**

**-M-**


	3. New Reality

**-WELL, I'm back! Introducing a couple of main Familiar of Zero characters, and giving a bit of background to the beginning of the fall of Erinn! There's ONE significant antagonist dragon in Familiar of Zero, so if anyone wants to figure out what it is they can go ahead and realize exactly how frightening that is when paired with a grown Ruairi.**

** PEJB Bengtzone V2: I haven't read into the manga enough, I've watched most of the anime for my info, so I'll look it up. However, canon might be changed for the story. I hope it ends up making sense when it gets to the reveal, though! **

** xbox432: Thanks! I still have the core Louise in mind, as you'll see, but I want her to be far more intelligent here rather than being completely characterized by hormonal walking bomb. Instead she'll have valid reasons for getting angry, even if they're silly. :3**

** Radon and Number_III: You guys still put this to shame. . I'm a total noob at this, so if you guys (Or anyone else for that matter) have criticisms, I would like to hear them! **

** Lunatic Pandora1: I hope it turns out well!**

**But enough spoilers and stuff. Onto the fun!-**

**CHAPTER THREE: NEW REALITY**

**-Louise's room, approximately 0100 hours-**

_''Are you sure there's nothing for me to do?''_

Louise sighed, seeing her new companion so curious about the surroundings she was in. The fact was that she would be disturbing the peace by wandering around so late, but had already been so patient with her that she felt somewhat guilty for holding her back.

"If you must, there is much of the school that you could still explore. Only the servants will be awake at this hour, though. If you have any questions for them... oh, right. Can you make due?" A mute nod. "Good. I have some clothes that need washing: find one of the servants and follow them to the washing room."

With a combination of new-found confidence, a strange lust for curiosity and a cane, Naminé set out to explore the castle/academy she was now residing in. Stepping outside the room with no shoes, she quietly began to amble through the halls, seeing where they would take her. The tower she was in spanned about ten rooms to a level, mostly what she guessed were rooms for other students. As she pulled up her hood and started to trek down the stairs to the next level, however, she heard the sounds of other people. _Awake at this hour? Servants, perhaps?_What she found was most definitely not servants, however. A handsome young blonde seemed to be courting a female student in an especially lewd manner, letting his hands wander even as her cheeks lit up with a bright blush. She poked her head around the corner, giving an almost imperceptible _shush _to them to alert them that perhaps it wasn't the best idea. The boy stood up, almost whipping around with one arm going to his... rose?, before he stopped at the sight before him.

"Who are you? You don't look like any servant or professor I've seen before." Unable to speak, she simply turned the corner the rest of the way, shook her head and pointed at herself, as if to say _I am which I am. _Getting the gist of it, the young man stood before giving a slight, but dramatically flourished bow.

"Guiche de la Gramont, at your service. Is there something you need?" She gestured to the bag of clothes, most of which were a little worse for wear. "Ah, going to the washing rooms? The basement of each wing of the Academy has one. Head down until you can't anymore and one of the servants should take care of your needs." She nodded in thanks, giving a bow of her own before moving to continue. However, Guiche stopped her before she could, a concerned look on his face. "If you cannot speak, allow me to at least see your face in case you need any further assistance."

_Quite the charmer, isn't he? _She laughed inwardly to herself, before taking off the hood to reveal her features. The blonde almost fell backwards, recognizing her signature raven hair and nut-brown eyes. "The summon of the Valliére? How are you up and about?" With a short gesture to her neck, it showed a nearly invisible scar where there once was a wound, and he nodded. "So the contract was finished, I assume?" Another nod. "Then let me go with you in case anyone inquires as to who you are. I have a bit of a reputation here, which now and again makes moving around inconspicuously rather easy for any female companion.

He turned to the student he was courting, giving her a kiss on the cheek and wrapping and arm around her briefly before letting go. "I'm afraid that I must cut this short with you, Katie... the lady here may need to move about quietly and thus my presence is required." he nodded, flipping from casual flirt to noble almost immediately. _Very charismatic, but self-absorbed to a fault. _This thought elicited a frown from her, but she followed Guiche down the tower, hoping he knew where he was going.

**LINE BREAK**

Meanwhile, Louise dreamed on. Memories that were not hers leaped unbidden into her mind, playing out like a muffled play. The memories were not a play, however. That much was certain.

"_Come on, get UP! King Zeder has requested your immediate assistance!" Blurred eyes awoke to a massive figure vigorously shaking her awake, a frantic look in his eyes. Raising a hand, she stood and conjured a massive... sword? Was it a spear? It was pointed on the end, but appeared to be useable as a two-handed sword, albeit with a much thinner edge than typical weapons of its size. Before she knew it, she was speaking._

"_Give me a minute. Where is his personal guard?" The last of her armor was fastened into place, and a black, ornately patterned robe was-_

Oh. Now she understood whose memories these were.

These were her familiar's memories. _ But why am I seeing them?_

**LINE BREAK**

Before long, the duo had arrived at a set of wooden doors, the sound of rushing water through a drainage system creating a low hum. The blonde turned to his companion with another exaggerated bow. "Here we are, Miss. Let's get this door o-" A brief tug on the door after turning the doorknob revealed it was locked. "_Merde. _It appears that it is locked. Might we wait a minute?"

_Someone should be along in a minute. _She nodded, before taking a seat against the wall beside the doors. Closing her eyes for a moment, she fell back into slumber, memories overtaking her yet again.

"_How many of the Royal Guard is left?" She was taking off at a full sprint, pausing to skewer the occasional armored humanoid figure that attempted to stop her, the giant sentry right alongside her. _

"_Last I left, out of the two dozen of us there were maybe eight or nine, not counting myself. These... things showed up from the border to the Calida region, completely rolled over the patrols from what we can tell. It's a wonder we even had this long to prepare, much less get any warning at all!" With a short swear, she saw the legion of grey-armored figures slowly tearing apart the Giant forces piece by piece. Some were massive, outdoing even the legendary strength of the people of Vales. Others were fast, sneaking in stabs to vital areas as they darted around the field. With a focus of energy, she released her awakening, light filling the area around her. Shortly after, she began to shape a spear of pure divine energy, loosing it to free up a portion of the field. The sound of a sonic boom shrieked through, eliminating dozens of the masked figures and carrying its explosive payload to one of the larger ones, sending it to its knees. A quick motion forwards and she crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, decapitating it and leaping to the side to avoid its toppling body. However, she wasn't done yet. And the rushing wind above her definitely agreed with her. _

_The sound of extremely large wings filled her ears like the pounding of a war drum, before she turned around and looked up. Fear filled her heart, realizing they had already lost Vales. The one thing she had hoped never to see again had reappeared, along with its rider: an old nemesis of hers._

"_Ruairi..."_

**LINE BREAK**

_Some time later..._

"_**AUGH!" **_Louise awoke with a startled cry, her heart racing in her chest. Looking around, she was still safe in the peace of her room, but the memory of what she dreamed of remained, unnerving her greatly. _Brimir above, what was that? That was the biggest dragon I've ever seen! _With a shake of her head, Louise went to grab her clothes, before realizing she had sent her new familiar to go wash them.

"_Why me?" _She had to go FIND them now. And it was probably far too early in the morning to be wandering about, regardless! She knew that there were still at least two hours to go before her classes started, and she'd have to go searching for her. Grumbling under her breath, she wrapped her blanket around her and set out to look for her familiar. Maybe she'd be in the...

She had to resist the urge to slap herself for forgetting: she could look through her eyes! Drawing on the power of the familiar runes, she started her scrying...

Before getting a mental slap, causing her to almost flinch. She heard the sounds of someone waking up, before the bell-like voice rang in her head. _"Sorry, was waiting for someone to unlock the door. Gramont was supposed to-" _A pause, before Naminé's voice came again, using rather colorful language that she was only able to understand due to the telepathy. _"He was supposed to find someone to unlock the bloody door! Why is there still a locked door in front of me?" _

Shaking her head, Louise walked downthe tower to its basement, before seeing her familiar looking quite cross with what she was beset with. The doors were obviously locked, and the sun's low rise meant there was at least half an hour before any servants arrived to unlock it. Which meant no clothes.

"I hate to ask this of you... but I only have this. May I borrow your robe for the day?" Naminé almost looked startled, before giving a silent laugh that only could be heard in Louise's mind. "_Of course. Give me a moment." _Tucking in her arms, she pulled off the black robe revealing a stunning set of light plate armor, though it seemed...

"Decorative?" The mute woman nodded, pulling it forwards slightly to reveal leather and cloth under the steel armor. _"It's light. It's meant to stop light slashing attacks and deaden blunt blows as well, but not be too heavy as to restrict my movement. It's also shapely enough to not be noticeable under the robe you're wearing now. It's too big for you, by the-"_

"I **know that.**" Louise looked almost hilariously undersized in the robe, most of it dragging along behind her. Suppressing an unladylike snort, Naminé took a belt from a pouch on the side of her armor, wrapping it around Louise after pulling some of it up. _"Should be easier not to trip now. Still a bit long, so walk slowly."_

With a nod, they turned back to the stairwell, a new face greeted them with a look of shock. Also surprised, Naminé only had two words to say.

"_Well shit."_

The maid tried to turn and head back upstairs with all the speed her small frame could carry, but Naminé was faster. With a few steps she had bounded up and grabbed her, wrapping a hand around her mouth to quiet her a bit. Bracing the other arm around her stomach, she made a few short gestures before speaking into her mind. _"I'm not going to hurt you."_

Unfortunately, this made her struggle a bit more. _"Miss, please calm down. You have my word that you will not come to any harm. Actually, we were looking for one of you."_

She stopped struggling, and Naminé brought her back downstairs to a bewildered Louise, who had been too caught up in the moment to do anything.

"Naminé. Explain yourself."

"_She can unlock the door if she has keys. If not, she can go get keys." _Mentally smacking herself, Louise focused her attention on the maid. "Apologies, you surprised her and she got a bit... overzealous when it came to keeping you from leaving. She was waiting here all night waiting for someone to show up to wash some clothing. Could you open these doors for us?"

The maid looked with surprised eyes towards Naminé, before shaking her head and grasping the knob of each door, turning them simultaneously and pushing forwards. "It was never locked. Whoever designed these doors is an idiot for sure, but it has two rods that need to be withdrawn simultaneously by turning both knobs at once." Louise nodded, not quite understanding why the door would be designed that way, but nodded anyways. "Thank you, miss...?"

"Siesta." Taking a good look at her, she saw the angular features and very slightly tanned skin along with black hair that identified this woman as Siesta. "Siesta of Tarbes, head maid in the Academy." Louise stepped forwards with as much grace as a small girl in a ridiculously oversized robe could and shook her hand. "Thank you. My companion would thank you as well, but she's-"

"Mute. But not, at the same time." This earned a raised eyebrow from the pinkette, before she turned to her familiar. "Do you want to explain? How are you doing the mind-speak with her as well? Isn't it because of the familiar bond?"

"_I'll explain it later. But for now, you just let something slip." _Before Louise could ask, she saw Siesta's eyes widen, and she took a good look at the outlined scar on the raven-haired woman's throat. "You're... you're-"

Sighing, Louise entered the room with the two ladies in tow, giving a brief explanation of why Naminé was out of bed so soon as they washed her clothes. By the end of it, Siesta had numbed considerably, but still had a question on mind. "How is she speaking into my mind? You mentioned her doing it before, with you." Finally remembering this, Louise shot a pointed look at Naminé, who simply shrugged. _"It's a simple spell made for those who have issues talking or who need to pass on direct messages. Vulnerable to scrying, but effective."_

This explanation nearly made Louise freeze up as she took in what her familiar just said. With a slow, shuddering breath, she managed to almost whisper her next sentence.

"Are you telling me you're a mage?" With a short mental bark of laughter, Naminé shook her head. _"Simple magic, anyone with a basic understanding of theory could do it. They teach it in school for small children? Don't tell me-" _And that was when she saw the angered look on Louise's face as she pulled her wand from one of the large pockets in the robe.

"So this is how the universe spites me? Louise the Zero, summoning a magical familiar that can cast spells when she can't even succeed with one." With a near scream, Siesta ducked out of the way as Naminé felt a sudden spike in mana around the wand, flowing _extremely _fast and unstable to a point in front of the wand.

"_Oh shit."_

**END CHAPTER**

**-Woo! Took me long enough to write this. After getting a tiny bit of a block on actually deciding how far to go with this scene, I decided to end on a slightly lighter and more humorous note here. Louise didn't take well to that realization. Just wait until she realizes exactly what non-imitation magic can do! Also holy shit the amount of people checking in this story, even if it only has a few reviews. I've got, as of now, seven hundred-some views, and nearly five hundred people reading this. Thank you so much. Seriously, it helps me to think that people actually care about people writing random shit for fun. Hopefully the next chapter isn't as slow to come out.**

**Cheers!**

**-M-**


	4. Better Left Unsaid

**-Hey! This one took WAY too lng to get out, partially due to writer's block and exam week. I'm uploading this about three hours before my second to last exam, so bear with me if it needs a bit of editing *sweatdrop* I do have some more ideas finally ironed out, so during the summer things should be able to go fairly quickly! I've been messing with the format of how I write this, so if the style is a bit inconsistent (Multiple POV to single POV, etc...) tell me which one you like most eventually!**

**Also holy shit 1000+ views. All my what. Onto an author response! (Don't be shy if you have questions/reviews!)**

** fallenlegion: One of the things that MIGHT eventually happen is her regaining a connection to one of her former pets/companions, but I'm still a bit torn on that. The events here take place 400 years AFTER the events of the Saga, hence King Zeder instead of King Krug. I've imagined giants as long lived (not as long as elves, but still), and Zeder would be about 410 years old by this point, or nearing venerability where he couldn't fight. The reason this shit went down will be shown in flashbacks as we go., as well as when some new points of view are introduced.**

**And without further ado, let the show begin!-**

**CHAPTER 4: BETTER LEFT UNSAID**

**-BEGIN CHAPTER-**

"Throne Almighty..."

A very shocked Naminé picked herself back up from the wave of force that had barreled her (and most of the standing racks in the room, apparently) right on their backs. Shaking her head, she groaned, seeing the still-fuming pink-haired girl remaining standing in the center of the room with her wand partway lowered.

"_**Well, that's certainly pretty interesting. She's going about the method of casting with the wand wrong... she's trying to force it to her will rather than letting the focus attract the energy before shaping it."**_

Wonderful. _He _was awake. Best not to ignore him, though. _Is their method of casting different? __**Requiring **__the wand rather than having it be an option? Usually only advanced magic requires it..._

"_**It might all be advanced magic. Who knows? It could even be closer to our magic... true magic. It's worth a check later."**_With a mental shrug, she was about to respond again, until she felt a tugging sensation. Not mental, for once.

"...and I need you to help clean this up before one of the instructors finds us! Come ON! Please?" Louise was tugging on her hand, trying to get her attention. Her gaze quickly twitched to Louise's before snapping back to reality. The room was quite a mess, now. On the other hand...

Everything was dry in the room. There was no wave of heat, only a blast of force that should have destroyed several things by all rights, but... it didn't. Reflexively she opened her mouth to speak, and to everyone in the room's shock, her voice came.

"I'll help, don't worry! I-" She covered her mouth when she herself realized that she was speaking. There was a definite bell-like quality to it, and with a quick scan of herself realized it was magic assisting, but she was still speaking.

"Louise. What did your spell do?" A hurt glance was sent her way, before Louise returned her gaze to the floor.

"...I cast a spell. I just wanted all the problems to _stop_... you talking into my head like that, the good clothes being dry instead of taking hours..." She trailed off again, complaining about the events that had lead up to this moment.

"_**She doesn't realize what she just did, does she?"**_

Wordlessly, Naminé picked up Louise's now-dried clothes, holding them out to her. "Dry." When she grabbed them, she realized they were indeed dry. Without any sort of rational explanation available, Louise just sighed. "At least it did ONE thing..."

And that was when Siesta stepped back in, having been peeking around the door.

"Two, actually. The woman here is speaking without that mind-speak..."

With another sigh, Naminé realized it was going to be a _very _long day.

***LATER***

"_**There's just no end to this, is there?" **_She had to agree with the one in her head: the variety of creatures in the courtyard was truly massive. Louise had sent her to linger with the other familiars during her classes that day, and what she saw nearly made her flinch upon entering the area. There was several varieties of wolves, cats, _bears, _some sort of flame salamander that she thought only existed near volcanoes, and...

...a miniature Blinker. She was sure of it. It even regarded her with a curious gaze, floating around her head and trying to figure out why exactly it was incensed by her presence. _Little bastard better not- _

"AUGH!"

It had zapped her with its magical gaze! It wasn't even a scratch, really, but it had done the equivalent of giving her a small electric shock, and she nearly backhanded it when she stood up from her position against the wall. "Don't do that again, Blinker."

"Bugbear. It's called a bugbear." An oddly familiar voice rang out, and when she raised her head to check who it was, she saw a shock of... blue above her. And the constant wind. Can't mistake that, especially what was creating it: a blue dragon. Not as large as the ones back home, but still as big as some of the giant-bred drakes... Throne Above, was there anything else this day would throw at her?

"That looks _nothing _like a-"

"Nonsensical, but named such anyways." The blue dragon landed, revealing its much smaller rider: the blue-haired girl from before. She pulled a book from her backpack and sat down next to Naminé with a very soft _thump, _the dragon choosing to curl up next to its master with a... purr. Shaking her head, she began to have the notion that things would only get stranger. "I think I'm going to need a drink by the end of the day. Thank you for before though, Miss... er-"

"Tabitha. Query for you: Talking. How? Vocal cords damaged beyond repair, saw that myself." With such a quick but quiet question, Naminé took the moment to think... oh _right, _this was the girl who had helped heal her!

"...Not sure myself. Miss Valliére might have had something to do with it, though... despite her odd magic." Said statement earned a cursory glance, before Tabitha returned to her book.

"Unstable magic. Explodes on casting without failure. Spells do not work as intended for unknown reasons." So she knew this, too? This was a _very _strange Master she was summoned to, and she could speak from experience, having had several familiars of her own in the past, knowing her own eccentricities through six thousand years. And that of her group's, though the Throne only knew where they'd gone to.

"I had a friend once who was like that. He was a very intelligent mage, but had little success with his spells. Usually they exploded on him as well, but with no aftereffects. One day, he just... vanished. He wasn't dead, but we couldn't find him or any trace of him. He and Sasha both... just gone." With a shrug, Tabitha kept on reading, having nothing to input on her situation. Such a small girl, maybe two years younger than Louise, with not much in the world to worry about. She envied her again, wishing her world was that calm at her age.

"Well, thank you for the short company, Miss Tabitha. Would you know where Louise will-" A short explosion interrupted her sentence, and she realized she may have her answer already. The blue-haired girl glanced up to one of the towers that each wall of the courtyard was connected to, and nodded to Naminé. "Class ending now. Meet with her." An unspoken goodbye, and she was off again.

"_**Strange little girl... she summoned a dragon for a familiar. Does each familiar correspond to its master's strength?" **_If that were true, it was a very unnerving question. Recalling the words to the ritual, Naminé shook her head with a silent laugh. _Be careful what you wish for, little one... you might just get it._

_*****_**EVEN LATER***

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! It was a simple spell, and it STILL blew up in my face!" With a sigh, she pulled off the hood of her robe to give her charge a curious look. From the gist of her unnecessarily loud (Especially from one her size, how does that even work?) rant, she had been called up for a simple transmutation spell. Clay to brass. "_Well, they THINK it's simple,"_ she muttered to herself. The truth was much more complex: manipulating the core elements of the material and rearranging its base components, or causing its traits to be replicated in other material. Either method would work, but needed several dedicated alchemists to work at _accurately_, since most transmutations were accidental and could have entirely randomized effects.

The magic here was definitely worth into, and the Milletian made a note to visit the library later. What was even more peculiar, however, was Louise's tendency to turn bright red in anger, only a few shades off from her hair. Which was stained in a coppery dust, but...

Wait. Coppery dust?

"Miss Valliére? Your hair. Hold still for a second." When she turned to inevitably rant, Naminé took action, swiping a hand across Louise's hair and gathering some of the dust in her hair, to said dust-stained girl's bafflement.

"What are you doing?" With a brief point to the dust, the Milletian _hmm'ed _to herself. "Metal of some sort. I'd need to compare it to other types." She was unsure, but it might have been what she was aiming to create. Especially given the bizarre results of her spells... _successful _spells, if not still explosive, but successful nonetheless. "How does the CORE of your spellcasting work? The method of casting. Not to a specific style, but the very first step."

Over the course of the minutes on their way to the Alviss Dining Hall, Louise went through the basics: their wands were designed to attract the latent mana in the air and use the will of the caster to shape it. Similar, but... reversed. Naminé, remembering her own lessons: using the _erg _in the body to attract it, before shaping it or forcing it through a focus for a specific result. It was required for the small amount of latent mana in the air, but she doubted it would hold for her higher forms of magic... a mana overload could cause her other faculties to diminish in ways she wasn't entirely prepared to deal with.

"Your world's magic is strange, Louise. I wouldn't have noticed until now that I was in a different world." Louise now held a curious gaze. "Why is that, Naminé?"

"Because during the day both of your moons are in the sky. Only on rare occasions are our moons, _Ladeca _and _Eweca _both present in the sky. Magic becomes unsafe to use due to there being so much of it in the air, and certain beings react in strange ways." There was truth to this, though said nights would also be precious to some rituals... some unspeakable, however.

_The Master Lich. Claimh Solais. The Keeper of Wisdom. Glas Ghaibleann. _Several unspeakable monsterss required such massive amounts of energy, even if they were mere shadows of the originals. With a shudder, she imagined fighting the true Slayer of Sen Mag, with its adamantine bones, making it completely immune to even divine magic. What an abomination it was.

"_**And a beautiful exercise of magitech." **_With that, she could not disagree. By the time this train of thought had began, however, she had arrived with Louise to the table, where the pink-haired girl now sat. As she pulled up a chair to sit next to her, one of the students coughed.

"Is there a problem?" Louise pulled on her sleeve, looking slightly embarrased. "Ah... technically only nobles are allowed to sit here. I'm not sure how it would work for you, but-"

"She's just a commoner! Send her off to one of the other tables, Zero!" Evidently the rumor mill hadn't kicked off yet, and with a sigh she pulled down her hood to get a better look at the other occupants. Various colored robes: black, purple, and others. Students, then. Hers was also black, but so strangely styled that none could mistake it for a student's robe. Though that moniker, "Zero", would have to be squashed. She took a good look at the one who had spoken so quickly... a portly young boy who had far too big a mouth on him.

"I do believe you spoke too soon. She is a mage among you, and an equal. Show the respect your station demands of another as such."

...

...

"HAHAHAHA! Did that _commoner _really just mouth off at Malicorne?"

"So the Zero hired an _idiot? _A suicidal one at that?"

There was a familiar feeling in her chest... anger? Yes, it was anger. But she couldn't show it. Keeping a level head was good. _Keep it together..._ "If I'm being more polite and I'm a _commoner _as you point out, then what does that make you?"

All heads bowed towards her now, as if she had physically struck him. If their pride was so easily bruised, would they challenge her? Louise nudged her again, giving her a look that told her that perhaps they should leave. With a nod, she stood and held out a hand to Louise, who after a moment accepted it and stood, despite their foot-tall height difference. "You are nobles, all of you. Or at least you claim to be. Please try to act the part." And with a quick turn, letting her raven hair sweep around, she followed Louise away to the kitchen to get some food directly.

"_**You're treading on thin ice, you know. One of them's going to call you out." **_He was preaching to the one-woman choir in her head, though, and they both knew it. She wasn't THAT tolerant, however. Especially to ones who would mock her partner. ESPECIALLY one who saved her from a permanent death.

"Miss Valliére?" Siesta met them at the door to the kitchen, with a few trays in her hands, looking somewhat confused. "Aren't you going to eat at the table?" Louise shook her head with a mixed expression on her face. "Don't feel like it, decided to come get food from here directly." With a slightly confused look, Siesta decided not to think on it and just nod. She passed one of the trays of sweet porridge to Louise, who nodded in thanks. "We're a bit understaffed at the moment, so when you're done if you would be kind enough to help us?" 

Louise didn't know what to think, but after reflecting on her familiar's words, nodded. "Naminé could help you with what you're carrying at the moment, if she doesn't mind...", looking to her for confirmation. A gentle smile gave her one of her own, and Siesta passed the Milletian two trays of various food, which she held one in each hand with no small amount of dexterity. "Shall we then, Miss...?"

"Naminé is fine. The rest of my name is unnecessary." She followed Siesta to one of the tables, one which held a _very _familiar face. A face topped with blonde hair and _such _a womanizer's gaze. Holding back her earlier irritation, she threw her head forwards briefly to get her hood back on and set down the food on his table.

"...and I could never tell lies in front of your eyes, Montmorency... while a rose blooms for all, -"

"You are the one who holds it?" Naminé finished it with a slight laugh, before giving Guiche a queer look. `Where have I heard THAT one before?" Sputtering, the blonde boy stood, nearly raising his wand in anger. "You DARE?" And she dared.

"Dare I what? Call what I see? I've heard that one more times than I could possibly hope to count over sixty lifetimes,, and I heard that one yesterday. Do you still carry the flower she gave you?" The other blonde, who she quickly identified as the mentioned Montmorency, stood with a confused look. "Guiche? What in the world...?" With an irritated sigh, Naminé continued her speech, fuelled by one complication after another taking its toll and finally surfacing with one two-timing, blonde-haired _fop _pushing the wrong buttons. "And where were you?" She pulled her hood down, revealing her identity to Guiche who simply stared and made no attempt to recover, realizing his blunder, and continued.

"A new arrival to this building, no... this _country, _and you simply shake it off like nothing else? You didn't know that, _nein... _but regardless. Who was the other one you were burning the candle at both ends with? The brunette?"

By now everyone in the dining hall was staring at the spectacle, and from far away Louise had nearly dropped her dish. _Oh Founder, she's making a mess. She really will get herself killed! _

"I... you... that is NO way to address a noble, regardless of our previous meeting, _Familiar of Zero!_ I was taken away from trying to find one to aid you after something more important-" And then karma decided to bite him in the worst way possible, with Katie pushing her way through the crowd to find him.

"Guiche? Darling, what happened?"

...

...

The metaphorical sound of glass shattering could be heard as Montmorency turned to Guiche with a venomous look. "Guiche... who is this? Is what the familiar of Zero said true? HAVE YOU BEEN TWO-TIMING, YOU BASTARD?" This proclamation set Katie off, when she realized that Guiche had indeed been doing this. Despite his attempts to placate them both, it was not either of them who struck first.

_SLAP!_

The sound of flesh striking flesh caused several people to back up, and when Guiche had recovered, he saw exactly who had struck him. And then his blood began to boil.

"...That was a mistake you won't repeat." Staring at the red mark on his cheek, Naminé simply broke out into laughter. "And you? What are you going to do about it? If I hadn't, then either of these two lovely ladies were going to do it anyways! I decided to save you the force of one of theirs and do it myself. If nothing else, it'll show you even _commoners _won't deal with a noble's lies."

That did it. Drawing his wand and pointing it directly at her, Guiche roared at her in his most intimidating tone... which actually would have been, if she hadn't been completely immune to it.

"**ENOUGH out of you! **I, Guiche de la Gramont the Bronze, challenge you, the horrifyingly disrespectful Familiar, to a duel! Accept and be dealt punishment, or forfeit and be dealt with even more harshly!"

Cracking her knuckles with several loud pops, she simply smiled. Not a kind smile, but the kind that promised pain. "Is that it? If you were any other one of these people, I'd decline. But seeing how utterly suicidal you are? **_I accept. When and where?"_**

**-END CHAPTER-**

**-Well THAT escalated quickly! Even with his patience with the ladies, it can only be strained so far, and seeing as from his point of view someone he helped turned on him so fast, and STRUCK him to boot... well, she's a commoner and a familiar! He thinks he's going to teach her a lesson, when he doesn't realize how badly he's going to be shot down...-**

**And a quick statblock for Naminé, since it was a thing of curiosity!**

**-CURRENT LEVEL ~110(?)**

**-FAVORED STYLE: Master Striker (Specialization in two-handed swords, namely the Brionac and on the offhand lances, with enough knowledge to be considered a master of the Fighter talent, yet far from a Grandmaster)**

**-EQUIPMENT: Rose Plate Type P Armor , Dustin Silver Knight Boots, Royal Knight Gauntlets, Nakuru Dragon Pattern Robe (F) (Black)**

**-WEAPONS: Brionac (Can be wielded one-handed, albeit slower), Dragon Shield, Knight Lance (Eff. Piercing Level 8, plus R5. Mainly used for armored targets), Bracer Knuckles (S5, Fire 5. EXTREMELY anti-infantry, can replace Gauntlets at cost of some DEX in exchange for defense in case of being disarmed)**

**-COMPANIONS: None. Many of them were killed outright, others having been banished or freed after a long time of service.**

**-MAGICAL ABILITY: Universal magic (Cantrips in D&D speak) unlimited, main affinity is Lightning (Shockwave/Thunder/Lightningbolt all mastered) plus Fire as a secondary element (Firebolt R1, Fireball R3, Meteor R9) and Ice as last (Icebolt R1 but Ice Spear R7 and Hailstorm RF). **

**RAW STATS (Pre-Summoning)**

**HP 900 MP 700 STAM 800 STR 650 INT 450 WILL 700 DEX 300 LUK 150**

**-And that's what I'll give for now. Until next time, fuu~-**

**-M-**


End file.
